The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-02-02
TRIAL OF Ex-ALDERMAN o'NEIL
The Defendant Placed in the Witness Box
No New Developments.


Alderman John 0Neal was continued to-
day before Judge Barrett in the Court of
Oyer and Terminer. There was a small au-
dience in attendance, the officers having ex
cluded all but those having busi-
ness there. Joseph H. Steiner, a men,
mittee, of which Mclaughlin was Chairman,
testified to meetings of the committee being
held at McLaughlin's house owing to the i'll
ness of Mclaughlin in May and June, 1884
Witness was almost nightly visitor there
Never saw any of the Aldermen there. The
defendant, John 0'Neal, was then put on
the stand. He said he was ffty-six years of
age and was born in Ireland; had lived
in the Third Assembly District in this city
for forty years, and had carried on a retail
shoe business twenty eight years there; was
elected a School Trustee in $780, and his
preset term would expire in 1890;
was Alderman from 1882 till the
1st of the present month; served
as chairman on the Finance Committee, and
was a member of the Committee on Public
Works, was member of the Sinking Fund
Committee from 1888 to 1886. When IN
dicted Mr.. 0'Neil thought he ought not to
act on this commission under the circum-
and Recorder Smyth thought that
it ought not to. make any
difference. Witness did not again meet
with the commission, however. He.frst
knew Fullgrsff when he became an Alder
man in 1884, and knew Duffy in the board
the year before, They and Mclaughlin
were Tammany hall men, while he was
county Democrat; never knew anything
about the combine meetings at Fullgraff's
or McLaughlin's, but had heard a rumor that
there was a combine. He never attended
| any meeting at Fullgraff7s or McLaughlins,
, and was never at McLaughlin's on Thirty
fourth street for any purpose. He called
| with Fullgraff on Mclaughlin on Thirty
ninth street when Mclaughlin was very i'll.
| Had been to Fullgraffs to order boxes and
afterward pay his bills. Then point Dy point
the testimony of Fullgraff and Duffy affect
| ing O'Neil was taken up and denied posi-
lively. Witness said the first he heard of
the morning meeting OF August 80 was
| when a messenger from the board came
| into his place of business with the
call for that meeting. 1t was $50 or O'Clock
in the evening of August %, and witness
was standing at the cutting board of his
shop. The messenger was Moloney. "He
| said he had call for a meeting, and asked
me to sign il. / asked him what it was for
as l signed it, and he said it was for o'clock
/ tomorrow morning, and hurried out. There
was nothing singular in his action. He only
seemed to be in a hurry" He did not know
| what was the purpose of this meeting until
be reached the City Hall. Then it was said
that the Injunction had been removed.
Also that a lawyer named Crittenden was
over in the Supreme Court trying to get
\ another injunction. The boards first bust
ness was in the room roll-call. Next a gen.
eral order acted upon according to O'NeiPs
recollection, after which the order
dissolving the Lyddy injunction was
read. Then the franchise bill was
passed, 0'Neil voting in the affirmative.
| His reason was that the Broadway Company
would not connect with the Broadway and
Seventh avenue, the Bleecker street and
| other cross or branch roads; also that il the
| franchise was granted to them the public
could go from the Battery to Central Park,
or to almost any other part of the city, for
single fare. This was more advantage than
either of the other petitioners offered.
On cross-eXamination witness said he had
| made sufficient investigations to convince
| him that there was nothing in the statement
made to the board by Mayor Edison that
I,OO00OO would be paid to the city for the
franchise. O'Neil said that the members OF
the alleged combine voted together
on bills affecting the Twenty-second street,
the Chambers street, the Second avenue,
the BleecKer street and other railways.
O'Neil did not know or care where Moloney,
Delacey, Dempsey, Sayles and the rest were
He bad no social acquaintance with them
Keenan, was member of mis- club, the New
Amsterdam, but he saw him very seldom
He never had any transactions with keenan,,
Moloney or DelaceyP'
Did not Keenan, pay you 5000 on the
mo; nor cents"
''Did not he ask you for your note, and
you refusedF'
81 never gave my note to anyone. He
never asked me-" replied ONeil. "He
thought the proposed cable road franchise
too sweeping"
O'Neil and ex-Alderman Toumy testified
that First District Attorney Purdy had
pointed ONell out to the girl Kate Metz.
The defense then rested, and Colonel Fel-
lows, of the prosecution in the McQuade
case, testified that the girl had identified Nc
Quade.
Mr.. Purdy denied that he had coaxed
Katie Metz. He had, however, pointed out
court celebrities to her companion.
Informer Waite was recalled to retell OF
his calling at McLaughlin's as u member of
the Aldermanic railroad committee in April
and June, 1884. Mclaughlin answered the
bell at once but witness could not tell who
admitted him at other times. He never
saw Miss Fox or Mrs. Mclaughlin at any of
those visits, save once in the fall he met a
lady he supposed was Mrs. Mclaughlin.
This closed the evidence, and the argument
OF counsel was begun and continued till the
court adjourned.